North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal

• Name — North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal • Type — Commemorative Medal • Eligibility — French citizens and foreign nationals serving in the ranks of the French Foreign Legion • Awarded For — Military service in North Africa between 1952 and 1964 • Status — No longer awarded • Established — 11 January 1958 • Higher — Indochina Campaign commemorative medal • Lower — Middle East operations commemorative medal • Caption2 — Ribbon of the North Africa Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal • Illustration — Reverse of the pre January 1958 variant • Illustration — Reverse of the post January 1958 variant • Illustration — Fighter ace Pierre Clostermann, a recipient of the Commemorative Medal for Security Operations and Maintenance of Order • Illustration — Colonel Antoine Battesti, a recipient of the Commemorative Medal for Security Operations and Maintenance of Order

The war in Algeria was and remains a sensitive subject for France, the events were only first openly officially identified as a war in 1999. The Médaille Coloniale ("Colonial Medal") or Médaille d'Outre-Mer ("Overseas Medal") were for service overseas and the Croix de Guerre ("War Cross") was for service in wartime against an exterior enemy. There was no award at the time to recognize and reward combat service on what was essentially French soil. A medal was initially created by decree 56-1032 of 12 October 1956 and called the Médaille Commémorative des Opérations de Sécurité et de Maintien de l'Ordre en Afrique du Nord ("Commemorative Medal for Security Operations and Maintenance of Order in North Africa"). It was designed to fill this void and recognize their service in what was officially called a "police action" to quell disorder, rather than a military campaign against an armed and organized enemy. Decree 58-24 of 11 January 1958 modified the design and renamed the award to "Médaille Commémorative des Opérations de Sécurité et de Maintien de l'Ordre" ("Security and Order Operations Commemorative Medal"). Under pressure for years by veterans' organizations and from the personnel who served during the handovers in Tunisia and Morocco to get commemorative medals of their own, the French government finally ceded by a decree dated 26 July 2004 with an amendment to the 1958 decree governing the award. Rather than design a new medal for each operation in North Africa, the government decided to extend the eligibility, the existing medal could then be awarded to anyone who had served in North Africa during the 1950s and 1960s.

• General Raoul Salan • General Pierre Langlois • General Paul Lardry • General Maurice Henry • General Jean Simon • General Maurice Schmitt • General Henri Amiel • General Paul Arnault • General Renaud de Corta • General Gérard Lecointe • General Bernard Janvier • General Marcel Bigeard • General Michel de Courrèges • Colonel Fred Moore • Colonel Antoine Battesti • Colonel Roger Faulques • Colonel André Salvat • Lieutenant colonel Pierre Clostermann • Lieutenant colonel Léo Vidou • Lieutenant colonel Albert Fossey-François • Lieutenant colonel Marius Guyot • Major Bernard Cabiro • Captain Hubert Clément • Chief warrant officer Jo Sohet • Master sergeant Marc Flament • François d'Orléans son of Henri d'Orléans